Starcraft: Legion
by Mr.Squirreljerky
Summary: The Templar called it Heresy. The Conclave? Sacrilege. Their words did not deter him. His exile did not deter him. On an unknown planet in the far reaches of space, his life's work would be complete and no amount of sacrilege, heresy or blood would stop the culmination of his life's work.


**_This story is a prologue of sorts to a story I may or may not create in the future. Let me know if you all like it and want to see more. _**

**_I do not own starcraft nor its lore._**

* * *

_Specimen 176- Consciousness successfully transferred._

_Specimen 177- Consciousness successfully transferred._

_Specimen 178- Consciousness successfully transferred._

The list was truly staggering not in just its length but in its implications. To the Templar, it was heresy. To the conclave, it was sacrilege. To the Judicator...it was necessary.

With a dash from a blue, scaled finger the list moved again going further down till the same appendage stopped the page's scrolling.

_Specimen 253- Consciousness successfully transferred._

_Specimen 254- Consciousness successfully transferred._

_Specimen 255- Consciousness successfully transferred._

They all simply did not understand. They did not understand the immensity of this realization, nor the sacrifices that were required to achieve it...But that was permit-able; They did not need to understand.

Hidden away, on this isolated world, the dawn of a new age would be born. An age where the people of Aiur would once again feel the warmth of its sun on their faces. An age where warriors and templar could finally lay down their arms and simply be at peace. An age where a once proud and mighty people would no longer rely on the hospitality and refuge of _Barbarians._

After so much time, so much research, and so much blood, the dream was soon to be made a reality.

The list scrolled down again before finally coming to a stop at the very bottom.

_Specimen 300- Consciousness yet to be transferred._

Blazing blue eyes narrowed in anger upon reading this, the data entry quickly being deleted before being retyped.

_Judicator Matara- Awaiting ascendence._

That was more like it. He would not be referred to as a_ 'specimen'._ He was Judicator Matara, a templar of Aiur and leader to the Protoss. It was through his ambition, his resources and the relinquishing of his honors and station that have made this all possible. He will be known as a hero, a savior and on the day that he reclaims his people's home-world, their voices will sing his name through the Khala and he will be known as 'The Shield of Aiur!'

The holoscreen quickly faded as Matara turned his attention away to focus on the mad scrambling around him. The air was practically alive with energy as Protoss of every caste moved like a colony of ants to and from their stations, observing the machines and the cables that were all connected to the single entity suspended in the center of the golden room.

It was enormous and breathtaking, dreadful and magnificent. A machine like no other, built for a singular purpose, _war._ It stood far taller than any Protoss, though the resemblance it held to the firstborn was uncanny. Its crowned head and broad shoulders soon gave way to its barreled chest where four arms were held aloft by coils of energy while probes swarmed around them, fusing and welding the plating of the machines armor together.

Matara had been called a fool for wishing to reinstate the purifier program, the other judicators being quick to remind him of its disastrous results. He had held his thoughts then, the knowledge that his time and energy were being wasted amongst those he once thought of as friends.

It was no lie that the purifiers had turned hostile towards their creators, killing ten score of Matara's old kin before they were finally subdued and sealed away. But the Conclave had failed to continue their research from their failings, simply deeming the study 'to dangerous'. The Judicator did not heed these warnings, he wished to _learn _and learn he did.

They had made the mistake of treating the machines like servants while simultaneously giving them the ability to seemingly synthesize free will. Matara had found a solution to this.

Rule and dominate their free will.

Judicator Matara gazed at his finest work, nearly at completion. He could not deny that he felt almost giddy at the prospect though he wondered if the other Templar and Phase smiths felt the same. The Judicator closed his eyes and tapped deep into the Khala's light, its warmth and assurance washing over him as he felt the hearts and minds of every Protoss around him.

He felt excitement, curiosity, resolve but also apprehension, anxiety...fear. He also felt something else within the Khala, a presence emanating from the great machine infront of him, _rage._ A deep, unrelenting anger that seemed to try and foul the very light of the Khala with its presence.

Matara's eyes shot open and he gazed up at his creation once more, the unsettling feeling quietly fading to memory. He quickly turned his focus on those who would help his dream come to fruition and he found them all staring back at him with alarm, having experienced the same rage as he mere moments ago.

Uncertainty had taken root.

The judicator would not stand for it. After everything they had worked for, it was to late to stop now. Matara would rip out this uncertainty, root and stem, before it could hope flourish.

"Templar, hear me!" The Judicator's voice rang out within the minds of every Protoss present, quickly gaining their rapt attention. "Today, we stand at the precipice of our greatest achievement, one which the former conclave would never dare to create. _We_ have dared however and through _our_ efforts and through _our_ sacrifice, we will make that which was thought impossible, a reality." Matara's gaze turned to the massive machine and the cold, inanimate metal gazed back.

"Long have we dreamed of reclaiming our lost home-world. 'My life for Aiur' has been our battle cry for the day that our warriors shall take back what is rightfully ours. But with this, their blood will not need to be shed. This shall be the spear-head for the reclamation, the one who will turn back the tide of the swarm and it is from the necessary sacrifice of those who were bereft of morality that those who would give their life for Aiur, shall live to see its sunrise!" Matara raised a fist into the air, addressing those who have made this all possible for what he knew would be the final time.

"Templar! _We_ are the savior's of our people! _We _are the sword and the shield of Aiur and today you shall give me the power to take back our home! FOR AIUR!"

_FOR AIUR! EN TARO MATARA!_

Rang the voices of every Protoss present, their gazes burning with conviction as they all returned to work with renewed vigor. Matara couldn't help but let a sense of pride and satisfaction well within his chest. His people believed in him and now there will be no more doubt about what they were going to accomplish.

"Praetor Syzria, are we ready to begin the transference?" Matara asked turning his attention to a young Protoss woman. She was tall and slender with pale blue skin and bright blue eyes that glowed like diamonds. Her nerve chords were long, protruding and growing from the back of her head like great vines that were pulled together in a tight braid stretching all the way down to her lower back.

"We await only your orders, Judicator." Her voice was smooth and delicate, a sharp contrast to the powerful, commanding tone of Matara. The Judicator stepped towards the younger female, dwarfing her not just in size but by mere presence alone. He radiated power, assurance, confidence. When she reached into the Khala to feel his thoughts and emotions, she felt only steadfast certainty and pride and she couldn't help but feel the same in turn.

Her eyes went wide though as Matara placed a large hand on the side of her face, gently cradling it in his grip while an unfamiliar heat began to rise to her face. "Syzria, I have known you since you were but a mere zealot. Through your perseverance, your strength and your studies under my guidance, you have become something far beyond my exceptions and I cannot be more proud of this fact."

Syzria was stunned "Master, your words honor me." The Protoss woman was at a loss for what else to say, it was not often that she had heard his words of praise and while the pride and affection could be felt through the Khala...his physical touch was a sensation utterly foreign to her; She didn't quite know what to think of it.

"You honor yourself Syzria. When we reclaim Aiur and the heretics have been purged, your place on my council shall be assured." Matara removed his hand from Syzria and turned his back to her, his attention now focused not on the weapon in the center of the room, but a large table that sat nearby it. "Let us not waste anymore time, the hour of my ascendance is at hand."

The young protoss woman raised her hand and gently touched the spot on her face the Judicator had held, the strange heat still present. She blinked and shook her head, trying to suppress the feeling, and instead focusing on the bright holoscreen that now hovered in front of her.

_"Judicator, proceed to the converter."_ Came a robotic voice that rang throughout the golden room and Matara obeyed, quickly stepping forward to the strange table set near the great suit of armor. The other Protoss instantly swarmed around him, helping him onto the table and attaching metal bracers onto his wrists and ankles, locking him into place. They then began the process of connecting the Judicator's long nerve chords into various ports along the top of the console, probes hurriedly floating in and welding them in place.

The Judicator grunted in discomfort but otherwise made no sound, some mild pain now was inconsequential to the power that awaited him. When everything was set, Matara closed his eyes and rested; He was ready.

_"Commencing mind transference." _The entire room seemed to whir to life as lights and sounds began to fill the senses of every Protoss present. Matara's nerve chords and the artificial nerve chords of the great purifier began to emit a bright aura and a gentle hum sounded out from the table beneath the Judicator.

Syzria observed the holoscreen, levels were normal and the transference was proceeding at an acceptable rate. Everything was going exactly as planned.

Suddenly she heard something shift and her glowing eyes shot up from the screen to look at the Machine her master was attached to. Matara let out another grunt of pain, and then another, his head twisting left and right before all of a sudden his eyes shot open and he let out a blood curdling scream, a surge of power flowing across the room that knocked everyone off their feet.

Syzria braced herself agains the console in front of her, her eyes wide in horror at what she was witnessing. Psionic lightning arced from the Judicator's form, his body seizing and thrashing against the restraints that held him.

_"I can feel them! I can feel them thrashing within my mind...They're trying to rip me apart!"_ Matara let out another bone chilling cry as more bursts of psionic energy washed over the area.

The room was chaos as an alarm sounded out and every Protoss scrambled in mad panic as they attempted to stabilize the devolving situation. Syzria acted quickly, her eyes still wide with fear as she quickly opened her holoscreen but cursed when she found it malfunctioning. "Shut it down! Something has gone wrong! This cannot continue!"

_"No...Do not stop!" _Matara's voice was in anguish. It felt as though every cell in his body was being annihilated, his mind being torn asunder...but he would not stop now. He will not bow to the power of this machine, he will fight it and he will make it subserviant to _his_ power...and he will not let the voices drive him to madness!

Though hesitant, the Khalai scientists obeyed the words of the Judicator, looking in fear as Matara let out another anguished scream and a flash of psionic lightning arced across the room once more.

Another sound began to permeate the room then, a sound that set to turn the blood of everyone there to ice. The great purifier began to _whisper_. It filled the minds of every Protoss with its fury and malice, drowning out every other sense till all they thought, felt and heard were the swarm of voices that emanated from the cursed purifier. Many dropped to their knees, cradling their heads as they tried to force the presence out of them but to little avail.

There was another visceral scream, another burst of energy...and suddenly the room was silent.

Judicator Matara had vanished.

Syzria pulled herself up from the ground, her gaze attempting to refocus on her surroundings as she slowly regained her senses. She felt a warm, wet sensation run down her arms, quickly discovering she had accidentally cut herself against the console in the madness. She ripped off a part of her clothes, bandaging the wounds and attempting to stem the flow of dark blue blood.

She took a deep breath then, seeing the other scientists and warriors slowly picking themselves back up. The room was uncomfortably silent now, a collective chill still present within everyone's mind. "_What had just happened?"_

_"Con-ious Succ-ly tr-sfer-ed"_

The static filled voice over the rooms intercom startled Syzria but it did snap her back to reality. She quickly looked down to the console, observing the holoscreen that was thankfully no longer malfunctioning. Levels had stabilized and the percentages were fully transferred, they had done it, Matara's conscious had been downloaded into the Purifier.

Joy and accomplishment filled her being but that all was soon replaced by a deep sorrow that resonated within both her and the Khala when the realization that a brilliant light was missing from it. Syzria looked onto the table where Matara's body had once been, his form and light now permanently extinguished. While this was certainly an unforeseen development, Syzria had still known what the outcome would have been regardless, they all knew...but the loss and emptiness of the Judicator's near overwhelming presence was still hard to take.

Determination filled her then, her gaze settling on the culmination of Matara's greatest work. No, she knew he was not truly gone, he was simply transferred into this new, more powerful form and though she would miss his mental presence within the Khala, his physical being would more than enough suffice.

"Begin diverting power to the Judicator." Syzria said as she tapped a few buttons on the holoscreen, the machines in the room whirring to life once more...Something was wrong though. The screen indicated that power was transferring normally...but the purifier was not activating. She looked down at the holoscreen in confusion attempting to find a solution to this vexing problem. Her heart sank however when a single, damning word appeared on the screen.

_Malfunction._

A spark shot out from the console causing Syzria to let out a cry of alarm before it all shut down. Panic began to set into the young protoss, her emotions being broadcast into the Khala where the other Khalai began to feel similar panic and despair. She did everything she could to try and bring the systems back online even going as far as to bang on it with her fist like she had seen a Terran mechanic do once...but it was all for naught.

They had had failed.

The thought was a bitter one to swallow as she looked at the inanimate purifier, her master trapped within its cold, metal shell.

"Phase smith, what has happened? Can you bring us back online?"

"I'm trying Praetor but our systems have gone completely haywire, though our main power core is intact. It's as if something is keeping the program from operating."

A collective chill washed through the Khala as Syzria looked back at the purifier, its cold, dead look suddenly becoming extremely unsettling to the young Praetor.

Guilt began to fill her. The project was a failure, and all that time, effort, energy and blood had been wasted. She clutched her chest, the pain she felt in her heart was almost to immense for her to bear. Matara had placed so much faith in her, he had taught her so much, he had uplifted her to the station she was at now and all she had to show for it was disappointment and failure.

Wether it had been hours or days, Syzria had no recollection. All she knew was that the other Scientists and Templar's presences had left her long ago while she tireless worked upon the malfunctioned machines, doing everything within her power to get them back online, and trying to save her master to let this experiment be a success.

It was all for naught though and as time marched on, this crushing realization began to make itself more and more clear to the young Protoss till she finally broke down.

Syzria collapsed onto the floor in front of the massive purifier, light streaming from the corners of her blue eyes. "Forgive me master, i've failed you. I-I..." She couldn't speak anymore, her mind was filled with too much turmoil. She gripped her chest again, the pain she felt in her heart doubling in strength as she shut her eyes, the light that streamed from them growing brighter.

It was to much for her to bear, she couldn't take it anymore. She slowly pulled herself up from the floor, looking upon her failure one last time. "_En Taro Matara."_ She whispered before turning and leaving the room.

The golden doors shut behind her as she walked out leaving the room filled with silence once more, the light within slowly fading away till it was overtook by darkness.

* * *

It had taken a bit of finagling on his part but eventually the golden doors slowly slid open, the cloud of dust that had followed doing well to precede the age of the chamber. Slow and cautious footsteps echoed within the alien room as did the click of a flashlight, the stream of light illuminating the dark room and the curious Terran that had entered it.

The strange intruder marveled at everything he saw, the feats needed to accomplish such engineering were staggering and nearly beyond his comprehension...but that was why he had come here in the first place; He was here to learn.

The Terran slowly pulled off his hood and mask revealing a head of long, wild brown hair and a beard that matched while inquisitive green eyes absorbed every inch of detail they could see.

He suddenly stopped though when the beam of his flashlight hit a rather terrifying machine. It was a monstrosity, towering far above him at what he presumed was nearly three to four meters in height, on top of it appearing to be fully armored in plate so thick, he had little doubt in his mind that it could shrug off a direct hit from a siege tank. It seemed to have been constructed to resemble that of a Protoss though the extra set of arms protruding from its side were quite unique from any Protoss he had ever laid eyes on before.

He then noticed cables snaking from the back of this remarkable automaton and when he followed them with his flashlight, he noticed a sight that sparked his interest further. A large device sat near the robot resembling that of an examination table with closed restraints set in logical places on the surface to keep still whatever was being examined upon.

It was all fascinating, truly and utterly fascinating...He must know more!

It was then that something else caught his attention, a large terminal placed to the opposite side of the room. _"Perhaps the Protoss stored their archives there?"_ The odd Terran thought as he slowly and cautiously made his way over, his flashlight and sharp gaze on high alert in case any traps had been set though thankfully it seemed his paranoia was unfounded.

He quickly reached the terminal, running a gloved hand across its surface, wiping away the thick layer of dust that had settled upon it. "_Everything appears to be intact. Let's see if we can't get a bit of power running to this old gal."_ The terran reached into his bag, pulling out a small, alien looking device before attaching it the terminal's surface.

He opened up the front panel of the device, quickly imputing a command code of some sort before the device began to flash and the terminal lit up back to life.

_"What a wonder Protoss technology is that even after all this time it's still operable." _The Terran man thought to himself, barely containing his giddiness as a bright blue holoscreen appeared in front of him.

He quickly reached into his bag again, pulling out another strange device, this one larger than the last. He held it above the holoscreen, scanning and deciphering the bizarre Protoss language before displaying the translation on the devices screen.

What the Terran read only served to intrigue him even more.

_Stardate 2501: Commencing Project L.E.G.I.O.N._

_Specimen 01- Conscious successfully transferred._

_Specimen 02- Conscious successfully transferred._

_Specimen 03- Conscious successfully transferred._

The Terran man continued scrolling, astounded by how long this list truly was. Curiosity as to what these 'specimens' were gnawed at the back of his mind though he soon realized he could tap each number on the holoscreen where it revealed more question raising details.

_Specimen 98: Razum'Dar- Nerazim, Dark templar, imprisoned on charges of murder and affiliation with Terran pirates._

_Specimen 99: Zenish- Tal'Darim, Corsair, sentenced to death on charges of murder, sacrilege and coercion._

The Terran man's head suddenly snapped up and he spun himself around flashing his light into the empty room around him. "Hello? Is there someone there?" He said, his voice echoing off the dark walls though that was the only response he received. He eventually shook his head and returned his attention back to the bright screen.

He could have sworn he had heard a whisper.


End file.
